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China, Japan, and South Korea have released new regulations on recycled plastics, which will be implemented from early 2026
Time：
2025-10-21
China, South Korea, and Japan have successively released important regulatory updates for recycled plastics, which will be officially implemented from early 2026.
The global attention to plastic sustainability is driving the continuous evolution of regulations in various countries. Recently, China, South Korea, and Japan have successively released important regulatory updates regarding recycled plastics, which will be officially implemented from early 2026.
1、 China: 9 National Standards for Recycled Plastics
The State Administration for Market Regulation approved and released 9 national standards for plastics and recycled plastics on August 1, 2025, which will be officially implemented on February 1, 2026, covering product evaluation, recyclable design, traceability, and other aspects.
This batch of standards, together with the "Identification and Marking of Recycled Plastics" (GB/T 45090-2024) and the "Requirements for the Limitation of Substances Used in Recycled Plastics" (GB/T 45091-2024) that have been introduced in 2024, form a regulatory system covering the entire chain of "production recycling recycling recycling reuse". The following is a summary of the core information of the 9 standards:
|
Serial Number |
Standard Number |
Chinese name | Core scope of application |
|
1 |
GB/T 46043-2025 |
Guidelines for Traceability and Environmental Factor Assessment of Recycled Plastics |
Full process traceability and lifecycle environmental assessment of recycled plastics |
|
2 |
GB/T 40006.4-2025 |
Plastics - Recycled plastics - Part 4: Polyolefin blend (MPO) materials | Polyethylene, polypropylene and other polyolefin mixture recycled plastics (excluding hazardous waste sources) |
|
3 |
GB/T 40006.13-2025 |
Plastics - Recycled plastics - Part 13: Polyphenylene ether (PPE) materials | Polyphenylene ether/high impact polystyrene alloy recycled plastic (excluding fiberglass and hazardous waste sources) |
|
4 |
GB/T 46018.1-2025 |
Technical specifications for evaluation of recycled plastic products - Part 1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) materials | PET packaging bottle mechanical recycling of sheet/granular recycled materials (excluding hazardous waste and chemical recycled products) |
|
5 |
GB/T 46018.2-2025 |
Technical Specification for Evaluation of Recycled Plastic Products - Part 2: Polystyrene (PS) Materials | Polystyrene/impact resistant polystyrene mechanical recycling particles (excluding hazardous waste, plastic blends) |
|
6 |
GB/T 46019.1-2025 |
Identification of Recycled Plastic Components - Part 1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Materials | Identification of mechanical recycling materials for PET packaging bottles after consumption (excluding chemical recycled products) |
|
|
GB/T 46019.2-2025 |
Identification of Recycled Plastic Components - Part 2: Polypropylene (PP) Materials | Identification of PP mechanical recycling particles after consumption (excluding chemical recycled products) |
|
|
GB/T 46020.1-2025 |
Guidelines for Design of Recyclable Plastics Part 1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) Materials | Recyclable design of PET hard packaging containers and thermoformed products (excluding synthetic fibers and films) |
|
|
GB/T 46020.2-2025 |
Guidelines for Recyclable Design of Plastics Part 2: High Density Polyethylene (PE-HD) Materials | Recyclable design for PE-HD hard packaging, pipes, and daily necessities |
The four highlights of the new standard system
01. Renewable Design Guidance
The "Guidelines for Recyclable Design" (GB/T 46020.1-2025, GB/T 46020.2-2025) standardize material selection, design elements, and testing methods. Provide a grading framework for the recyclability of PE-HD and PET products, and design from the source to improve the recovery rate and regeneration quality.
02. Evaluation and identification of recycled plastics
The Technical Specification for Evaluation of Recycled Plastic Products (GB/T 46018.1/2-2025) is based on the concept of life cycle, taking into account domestic and international industry standards, and comprehensively evaluating the quality, environmental energy, process management, traceability, and other aspects of materials such as PS and PET.
The standard "Identification of Recycled Plastic Components" (GB/T 46019.1/2-2025, etc.) introduces headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technology and random forest model to achieve high-precision identification of recycled plastics PET and PP.
03. Special recycled plastics
The "Polyolefin Blend (MPO) Materials" (GB/T 40006.4-2025) and "Recycled Polyphenylene Ether (PPE) Materials" (GB/T 40006.13-2025) have filled the standard gap in the field of mixed waste plastics and high-end recycled plastics.
04. Identification and Safety Category
The Guidelines for Traceability and Environmental Factor Assessment of Recycled Plastics (GB/T 46043-2025) establish a traceability system for the entire process of recycled plastics and assess their impact on the environment throughout their lifecycle. In conjunction with the 2024 release of the "Identification and Labeling of Recycled Plastics" and the "Requirements for Limiting the Use of Recycled Plastic Substances", a regulatory loop of "traceable sources and traceable destinations" has been formed to ensure the identification and safe use of recycled plastics.
Unified quality evaluation standards and recyclable design guidelines will effectively promote green product design, enhance environmental and economic benefits; Meanwhile, recycled plastic products with traceable and identifiable characteristics also help enhance consumer trust. The above standards will be officially implemented from February 1, 2026.
2、 South Korea: Mandatory use of recycled ingredients in transparent PET bottles
On September 16, 2025, the South Korean Ministry of Environment passed partial amendments to the Implementation Order of the Promotion of Resource Conservation and Recycling Act, which made mandatory requirements for the content of recycled materials in PET beverage bottles. It will be officially implemented on January 1, 2026, and will be fully increased by 2030.
（1） Implementation phase
Phase 1: Starting from January 1, 2026, manufacturers of colorless PET bottled water and non-alcoholic beverages with an annual production or filling volume exceeding 5000 tons must use at least 10% recycled PET (rPET);
Phase 2: By 2030, the threshold will be lowered to producers with an annual production or filling volume exceeding 1000 tons, and their rPET usage ratio needs to be increased to 30%.
（2） Certified Security
The Ministry of Environment will certify the recycling process (collection/sorting/regeneration); The Ministry of Food and Drug Administration implements safety certification for recycled materials used in food containers, limited to certified rPET for colorless PET bottle production.
The dual track system of "process certification+food contact safety certification" mentioned above means that enterprises not only need to prove the blending ratio, but also need to prove that the recycling source and purification and decontamination ability meet the requirements of food contact safety.
In addition, the South Korean Ministry of Environment plans to expand the application scope of recycled plastics, including household appliances, automotive interior components, and cosmetic containers, to further promote the use of recycled materials.
3、 Japan: Incentive certification, focusing on easy to recycle design
Unlike mandatory regulations in South Korea, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan released design certification standards based on the Plastic Resource Recycling Promotion Act on July 24, 2025, adopting a voluntary certification system with incentives as the main focus.
According to this standard, starting from January 24, 2026, colorless PET beverage bottles can apply for certification if they meet the following core requirements:
Recycled material content: rPET content should reach at least 15%.
Recycling friendly design: The bottle body must be completely made of PET, the bottle cap and label must not contain PVC, and the label should be easy to peel off during the recycling process.
Certified products will be included in the priority procurement list of Japan's Green Procurement Law, thereby gaining a competitive advantage in government procurement.
Japan's strategy fully embodies the advanced concept of "Design for Recycling". By starting from the source of product design and maximizing the recycling value of materials, the recycling efficiency and purity of rPET can be effectively improved.
4、 Compliance recommendations
With the continuous increase in plastic production and consumption, plastic pollution has become a global environmental problem. Against the backdrop of increasing public attention and concerns about plastic pollution, many countries and regions have implemented or updated regulations on mandatory use of recycled plastics in plastic packaging, especially beverage bottles and packaging materials, in recent years, reducing reliance on virgin plastics through mandatory measures; And promote the development of the recycling industry chain.
For enterprises related to food contact materials, Jiayu Testing recommends that they closely monitor global regulatory developments, especially the requirements of major export markets, to ensure product compliance. At the same time, it is necessary to conduct supply chain assessments in advance, continuously increase investment in technology research and development, improve recycling and regeneration technologies, and enhance the quality and performance of recycled plastics.
Jiayu Testing, as a professional third-party testing and certification service organization, has qualifications such as CMA, CNAS, CPSC, and has obtained laboratory accreditation from multiple authoritative certification agencies at home and abroad. It has a professional testing technology team, equipped with advanced instruments and equipment, proficient in various regulatory standards, and specializes in providing FCM food contact material testing services for various food contact materials (such as plastics, coatings, metals, silicone, glass ceramic enamel, bamboo, paper, and cardboard) in the United States, China, the European Union and its member states (France, Italy, Germany, etc.), Japan, South Korea and other countries to ensure that your products meet the regulatory requirements of various countries. Welcome to contact us at 400-9269-886!
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